Forest Village provides dignified homes for Cape Town residents

Just over 3000 houses have been handed over to residents in the Forest Village Housing Development in Eerste River.

This Catalytic Project commenced in January 2016 with a budget of R1.1 billion. This month saw 37 beneficiaries take occupation of the units. Residents benefiting from this project are from the local Wards 16, 17, and 108, along with the Airport Precinct and N2 Gateway excess.

At the end of all construction and upon completion of the project close to 5000 beneficiaries would have taken occupancy of these homes.

The Western Cape Minister of Human Settlements Tertuis Simmers said: “It is pleasing to see how the Forest Village Housing Development in Eersteriver continues to provide a safer and dignified home for the most deserving and qualifying beneficiaries. Residents from different backgrounds are now living side-by-side. This epitomises what we’re aiming for in the Western Cape Government (WCG) and in so doing breaking down the Apartheid spatial planning of the past.

This development has seen backyard and informal dwellers from the immediate and surrounding areas move into significantly improved living conditions. Just last week we also saw the first 12 FLISP beneficiaries who forms part of the Affordable Housing Market also take occupancy of their brand new homes”.

One of the beneficiaries who recently moved into here house, Ms Nosisa Qashani, a former backyard dweller of Mfuleni said “I am delighted to have finally received a house from my Government and I am so in love with it and its everything I dreamt of”.

Ms Velmarie Potberg said “after 12 years of living in dire conditions in a shack, that would be flooded during the Cape Town winters and damage all our goods and furniture whilst raising kids, those  were some of the toughest times in my life. However today I feel so blessed to be standing in my house and thank God and the Western Cape government for everything they’ve done for me and my children as we will now have our first Christmas under proper sheltered house”.

“As the Western Cape Government, we remain committed to accelerating human settlement delivery, while promoting social inclusion through the development of integrated, resilient, safe and sustainable human settlements in an open opportunity society,” added Simmers.

Source: Government of South Africa